160: The Sports Doctor Radio Show with Dr Robert Weil - Episode 160160: The Sports Doctor Radio Show with Dr Robert Weil - Episode 160
UK Health Radio Podcast
Dr Robert Weil talks with Nada Lena Nasserdean and Lou Vickery about soft skills, mindset and the mental side of sport and success, linking emotional health, behaviour and performance. The conversation touches on youth sport pressures, wellness trends and the importance of attitude, self-awareness and having a "good forgettery."
48:37•21 Jun 2026
Soft Skills, Strong Minds: The Mental Game of Sport, Success and Wellbeing
Episode Overview
- Soft skills such as self-confidence, emotional intelligence and effective communication are described as making up around 80% of success, yet are rarely taught.
- Behaviour change is framed as central to health, performance and leadership, and is said to require at least three months of consistent work.
- Emotional state and physiology are linked directly, with the point that physical performance in sport or leadership cannot be separated from mindset.
- Self-awareness, attitude and listening to the body are highlighted as essential for avoiding burnout, injury and long-term problems in youth and adult sport.
- Lou Vickery stresses the value of having a "good forgettery" so athletes and performers can move past mistakes and maintain confidence.
“These skills make up 80% of your success, but none of us ever learned them.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This episode of the UK Health Radio Podcast zooms in on the "mental game" behind performance, whether you're an athlete, a leader, or someone trying to build healthier habits. Host Dr Robert Weil, a sports podiatrist known as "The Sports Doctor", first chats with Nada Lena Nasserdean, founder and CEO of Rise Up For You.
Drawing on her background as a performer and corporate executive, she explains how success keeps coming back to one thing: people and their behaviours. She breaks down the "soft skills" that underpin resilience and long-term achievement – self-confidence, emotional and social intelligence, transformational leadership, and influential communication.
As she puts it, "these skills make up 80% of your success, but none of us ever learned them." Nasserdean links emotional state, physiology and performance, stressing that whether you're leading a team, boxing in a ring, or trying to stick to a wellness plan, your body and mindset are inseparable. She notes that we’re flooded with information yet “still sicker, less emotionally intelligent, and more disconnected”, because hardly anyone teaches how to change behaviour at its core.
Later, former New York Yankees pitcher and long-time radio host Lou Vickery returns to talk about pressure in youth sport, overuse injuries, gambling, and why fun should stay at the heart of sport.
He shares stories from his playing days, including a police officer’s advice after a brutal game: "In your business and in my business, you better have a good forgettery." That idea of learning, then letting go, runs through his work on the "head game" in sport and business. If you’re curious how mindset, soft skills and attitude can support healthier choices and steadier recovery, this conversation gives plenty of food for thought.
Which part of your own mental game needs the most attention right now?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.